Spain's magicians say television show that gives away secrets is a dirty trick

Spain's magicians are up in arms over a television show hosted by a rebel prestidigitator who reveals many of the secrets behind their tricks.

The magicians have asked Spanish lawyers to come up with ways of challenging the Masked Magician and his programme Magic Without Secrets in court, claiming that their favourite tricks should be protected by intellectual property laws.

"The secrets that magicians have been holding on to forever with the sole intention of entertaining their audiences are being exposed with the only aim of gaining a few points of audience rating," complained one, Magicus, on his blog.

Another angry magic fan has even used his Facebook page to call on someone to kill the Masked Magician "for spoiling the illusion behind the tricks".

Attempts to stop the show have so far failed and lawyers say Spain's magicians are unlikely to win their battle against the Masked Magician, who is an American otherwise known as Val Valentino.

Fellow American magician Andre Kole tried to sue Fox television when it broadcast the same programme, but the courts threw the case out after being persuaded that most magician's secrets have already been published in writing somewhere.

The last time a Spanish artist tried to claim a copyright to a "magical" act, they also failed to win compensation.

A stripper in Benidorm called Doña Esther, claiming to have invented a system by which up to 14 objects would appear from an intimate part of her body during her show, sued a rival, Doña Julia, after she had started performing the same trick.

Though the court ruled that the act was Doña Esther's, the judge said she had no financial rights over it.

Magicians in Brazil reportedly were partially successful in a case against the same Masked Magician show when it was aired by a television station there, but lawyers said Spanish law offered little protection.

"The best thing is to keep your trick secret and not teach it to anyone else," said a Spanish lawyer, Andy Ramos on his blog.